The present invention relates generally to a harvester and more specifically to a cotton harvester with an offset head.
In the past 4-row cotton harvesters have utilized a head with a plurality of harvesting units centered with respect to the centerline of the harvester. The drive wheels of such a harvester are generally spaced between the outer pairs of units so that two rows of cotton, one spaced outwardly from each wheel, and two adjacent rows of cotton located between the wheels are harvested. Such a unit is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,942 and includes a basket or a receiver for dumping into a truck or other cotton carrying implement which can be positioned alongside the harvester. The harvesting unit which is positioned outwardly of the wheel on the side of the harvester from which the basket is dumped presents an obstacle to the receiving implement which prevents it from being positioned closely to the harvester. When narrowly spaced rows are being harvested, the drive wheels are generally aligned with the outboard harvesting units and tend to ride on the harvested rows of cotton making steering and driving the harvester very difficult.
Since the width of the harvester has increased in recent years because the number of front harvesting units have been increased and tend to extend outboard of the wheels, the distance that the cotton basket rocks laterally has to be increased because the receiving implement is spaced further from the frame to avoid contact with the outer harvesting unit. Stability has been a continuing problem as the heavy basket is extended laterally over the implement. This problem is discussed more fully in the aforementioned patent which discloses a stabilizing device for the rear wheel support.